Flag support



April 7, 1964 J, w. HOWLAND 3,127,869

FLAG SUPPORT Filed Sept. 1'7, 1962 INVENTOR. JOHN WILLIAM HOWLAND Attorneys FIG. 4

United States Patent Ofiflce 3,127,869 Patented Apr. 7, 1964 3,127,869 FLAG SUPPORT John William Howland, Mene Grands Oil Co., Apartado 45, Barcelona, Venezuela Filed Sept. 17, 1962, Ser. No. 224,167 4 Claims. ((11. 116-173) This invention relates to a support and more part-icularly to a flag, banner, streamer, etc. support which is arranged for temporarily securing on an automobile radio antenna.

Present day automobiles are essentially streamlined, having few protuberauces for attachment of flags, banners, streamers and the like. One protuberance, however, common to the vast majority of vehicles is a radio antenna which is normally of the telescoping type. In most instances such radio antennae are sturdy enough at their full extension to support small pennants, flags, etc. which may be used as decoration on an automobile, and they may support larger flags at full or partial retraction.

Included among the objects and advantages of the present invention is a holder or support for flags, banners, pennants, and the like which is arranged for releasable attachment to an automobile antenna, and further provides secure fastening for material of the flag or banner. The device is simple, inexpensive, and provides a quick and easy attachment to an automobile antenna. The simplified construction of the holder permits it to be adapted for various sizes of flags and banners. Further, since most antennas are round and have essentially the same diameters for the various parts, the simplified construction permi-ts one size of support to be used with substantially all antennas, and by merely increasing the length it may be used with diiferent sizes of flags, etc.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention may be readily ascertained by referring to the following description and appended drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a fiag support according to the invention, showing attachment of a flag thereto;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of a flag support and a detached flag illustrating one means of attachment thereto;

BIG. 3 is an elevational view of the flag support illustrating the opening for attachment of a flag thereto;

PEG. 4 is a partially cut away detail view of the flag support portion, and

PEG. 5 is a top plan view of a device according to the invention.

In general, the flag support of the invention includes a sheath portion which is arranged to telescope over an automobile antenna, and a lateral extending portion therefrom which is arranged to support a flag from its hoist edge so as to permit the fly of the flag to extend normally beyond the support.

In the device shown in FIG. 1, a sheath member 1 is, in essence, an elongated tubular member having one open end 2 and a closed end 3. The diameter of bore 4 of the sheath is essentially uniform from the open end 2 to adjacent the closed end 3. Adjacent the end 3 is an internal shoulder 5 which necks down the passage in the sheath to reduce the uniform bore diameter. Extending outwardly from one side of the sheath is a bifurcated section 6 to which is attached a flag, pennant, banner, etc. 7. As shown in detail in FIGS. 3 and 5 the bifurcated portion 6 includes wings 3 and 9 which are attached integrally or otherwise to the sheath 1 and extend generally parallel from along one side of the sheath. In the embodiment shown, the wings or flanges '8 and 9 extend generally the length of the sheath and essentially are of a width to securely hold the hoist or supporting edge of the flag to be secured to the flag support.

The flag support is preferably made of a resilient plastic, such as polyethylene, polyvinyl, or other moldable plastic material which is resilient enough to permit the neck to mount over the ball 10 of an antenna 11 to thereby securely hold the flag support temporarily on the antenna. The flag support may, also, be made of a light metal with a spring clip for temporarily securing the sheath on an automobile antenna. As shown in FIG. 1, the sheath 1 is long enough to fit on an antenna in its down position; however, the antenna may be made in any length desired, according to the width of the hoist of the flag which is attached, and the antenna may be raised or lowered to provide support for the flag holder.

Various types of flags, banners, buntings, streamers, or the like may be secured to the flag support and, in one embodiment, plastic flag material may be readily attached to the support by placing the hoist of plastic sheet material between the two flanges 8 and 9. The plastic sheet may be sealed either by chemical or heat sealing, securing the sheet material to the flanges. Where cloth material is to be used, as for example in FIG. 2, a heat or chemical scalable plastic strip 18 may be secured to a flag 17 along its hoist. With such an arrangement, the flag may be readily secured to a plastic flag holder by inserting the plastic strip 18 in between the flanges of the support and, again, by chemical or heat sealing, secure the plastic to the flanges.

The arrangement of the flag and holder secures the material of the flag along its entire hoist to the holder to thereby securely fasten the flag material to the support. The fastening along the entire hoist minimizes the Wear and tear normally associated with flag mountings which utilize eyes in the hoist of the flag. With plastic flag material the holder, in effect, becomes an integral part of the flag. This fastening may, also, be accomplished by sew ing the material of the flag into the flanges of the holder by passing the thread completely through both flanges and the flag secured therebetween. Other fastenings may be used to secure the flag to the holder, obviously.

As pointed out above, the length of the flag hoist determines the length of the holder; however, in the preferred sheath embodiment the sheath has essentially the same radial dimensions since it is arranged to fit automobile antennas. For home use the holder may be placed on a dowel which is supported in a flag holding position. As shown in FIG. 1, the holder is arranged to fit over the antenna ball 10 and over the lower portion 11a of the antenna which is substantially the same diameter as the diameter of the ball. Thus the support is maintained in a secure position with minimum of wobble. However, with the antenna extended so that the flag support is not telescoped over the lower and largest part of the antenna, the necked portion 5 will securely hold the flat support on the antenna and the slight wobble of the bottom of the support on the smaller section of the antenna will not be detrimental.

While the invention has been illustrated with reference to the specific device, there is no intent to limit the spirit or scope of the invention to the precise details so shown except as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. The combination with an automobile radio antenna having a spherical end of a flag support comprising a flexible, resilient plastic tubular member having one open end and one closed end and a substantially uniform diameter bore therebetween, an integral necked down portion of a diameter smaller than said antenna spherical end internally of said tubular member adjacent the closed end for temporarily holding said tubular member on a said antenna spherical end, a pair of closely spaced integrally attached flanges extending substantially radially therefrom and generally parallel to each other, and a flag member mounted between said flanges along its hoist with its fly extending therefrom, there being at least a plastic portion along the hoist of said flag, and means for integrally securing said plastic portion between said flanges for securing said flag member to said support member.

2. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the flag member is a plastic sheet.

3. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the flag member is cloth with a plastic strip secured thereto along its hoist.

4. The combination with a vehicle antenna having a spherical end of a flag support comprising a flexible, resilient heat scalable plastic tubular member having one open end and one closed end and a substantially uniform diameter bore therebetween, an integral necked down portion of a diameter smaller than said antenna spherical end internally of said tubular member adjacent the closed end and being resilient to pass over said spherical end for temporarily holding said tubular member on said vehicle antenna, a pair of closely spaced integrally attached flanges extending substantially radially therefrom and generally parallel to each other, and a flag member mounted between said flanges completely along its hoist with its fly extending therefrom, there being at least a plastic portion along the hoist of said flag member, said plastic portion being heat sealed between and to both said flanges.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,646,467 Walton Oct. 25, 1927 2,527,357 Donahey Oct. 24, 1950 2,856,891 Solomon Oct. 21, 1958 3,042,940 Keaton July 10, 1962 

1. THE COMBINATION WITH AN AUTOMOBILE RADIO ANTENNA HAVING A SPHERICAL END OF A FLAG SUPPORT COMPRISING A FLEXIBLE, RESILIENT PLASTIC TUBULAR MEMBER HAVING ONE OPEN END AND ONE CLOSED END AND A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM DIAMETER BORE THEREBETWEEN, AN INTEGRAL NECKED DOWN PORTION OF A DIAMETER SMALLER THAN SAID ANTENNA SPHERICAL END INTERNALLY OF SAID TUBULAR MEMBER ADJACENT THE CLOSED END FOR TEMPORARILY HOLDING SAID TUBULAR MEMBER ON A SAID ANTENNA SPHERICAL END A PAIR OF CLOSELY SPACED INTEGRALLY ATTACHED FLANGES EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY RADIALLY THEREFROM AND GENERALLY PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER, AND A FLAG MEMBER MOUNTED BETWEEN SAID FLANGES ALONG ITS HOIST WITH ITS FLY EXTENDING THEREFROM, THERE BEING AT LEAST A PLASTIC PORTION ALONG THE HOIST OF SAID FLAG, AND MEANS FOR INTEGRALLY SECURING SAID PLASTIC PORTION BETWEEN SAID FLANGES FOR SECURING SAID FLAG MEMBER TO SAID SUPPORT MEMBER. 